Campbelltown Council supports bid for Macarthur A-League team

Campbelltown Council is backing calls for a new A-League team to be created in the Macarthur region.

The council has informed Football Federation Australia of its intention to bid for a professional team to play out of Campbelltown Stadium, it announced today.

It wants to engage with the strong soccer supporter base in Macarthur and provide professional pathways for talented local players.

The proposed club structure would include W-League (women’s) and Y-League (youth) teams ready to participate from the 2019/2020 season.

Campbelltown mayor George Brticevic said having an A-League representing the region would be an exciting opportunity for south-west Sydney and a source of community pride.

“There are strong reasons why a new team should be established in the region and in particular at Campbelltown Sports Stadium given its accessibility by both road and public transport,” Cr Brticevic said.

“There is substantial population growth expected over the next 20 years which will see many families calling the region home.

“We already have strong, passionate grassroots support for football in our region, and this support will grow significantly as our region grows.”

Cr Brticevic said there was strong support from Macarthur people to establish a professional team 100 per cent dedicated to the region.

“Our community is calling out for, and deserves, a full-time sporting team with a full schedule of games, and this is a great opportunity to have a professional sporting team, playing at a national level, which lives and breathes this region,” he said.

“There’s a lot of work to be undertaken in developing the bid, but we have a compelling case for a team to gain entry into the A-League.”

This comes after the Wests Tigers revealed earlier this year that they would be player one fewer NRL game at Campbelltown Stadium in season 2018.

The council is encouraging soccer fans to register their details at southwestsydneyfootballbid.com.au to show their support for a new Macarthur-based team and receive regular updates on the bid’s progress.